


An Important Bonfire for Some Reason

by BotchedExperiment



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: F/M, Fever, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Sick Character, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-09
Updated: 2019-02-09
Packaged: 2019-10-24 18:26:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17709254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BotchedExperiment/pseuds/BotchedExperiment
Summary: "Go. Back. To. Bed. David, you've got a fever. And you're just making yourself worse by being out here!"She's not wrong, he knows it. But still.





	An Important Bonfire for Some Reason

**Author's Note:**

> hey i wrote a sick!david fic who saw that coming a mile away

He plops down at his and Gwen's usual table and lays his head down. He usually spends every morning telling the campers that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but today he can't bring himself to eat. His throat is sore, and his appetite is gone.

David settles for a cup of coffee. He's going to need it.

His co-counselor sits across from him with her own coffee cup. "Would you stop being an idiot and go back to bed?"

It's an argument they've been having all morning.

Tonight is the first bonfire the kids are actually looking forward to. He and Gwen promised proper s'mores, with chocolate and everything, and - after some convincing from Gwen - they even decided to let the kids tell some scary stories at the end of the night. Even Max seems excited about it in his own Max-ish way.

David can't be sick right now. He just wants the campers to have a good time, and they can't do that if he is too sick to participate in anything! And Gwen needs his help whether she admits it or not.

"I'm okay, Gwen. Really! It's just a cold, nothing- hey!"

He isn’t fast enough to pull away before a hand is against his forehead. Gwen frowns, David might even call the look she's wearing _concerned_ as she brushes his cheek with the back of her hand. More gentle than he's used to from her, but entirely welcome.

"David, you're really warm." She lowers her voice so their nosy campers won't hear. They both know that showing weakness to their particular group of kids could be the beginning of their downfall. "I really think you should sit this one out."

David sighs, all cheeriness abandoned. "I can't. They're so excited and you can't do everything yourself. We promised them!" He sips his coffee and winces as it only irritates his sore throat.

"We promise a lot of things," she says with a shrug. "They know not to get their hopes up." That doesn't make him feel any better.

"They deserve one fun night."

Gwen snorts. "They really don't. They're a bunch of brats sent straight from hell to make our shitty lives even shittier." She lets out a long sigh, shaking her head at him before taking a big gulp from her mug. "But if you really want to run yourself into the ground, I'm in no position to stop you." She downs the rest of her coffee and rushes off to prevent a food fight from breaking out. "Nikki, oatmeal does not belong on the goddamn ceiling!...Or on Space Kid!"

Maybe she's right. Maybe he should go back to bed and do the bonfire another day. Medicine and extra sleep sounds amazing, and he could really use some downtime. When was the last time he took a day off?

But the kids…

David can't disappoint them. If Max is looking forward to something, then it's worth giving up a sick day to get him to enjoy camp for once. David is going to see Max have fun if it kills him! Safe, supervised fun that doesn't involve tying his hardworking counselors to a flagpole all night!

A hoarse yelp comes out of him when something that feels suspiciously like toast smacks him in the face. Sure enough, he looks down and there's a sad piece of bread floating in his coffee. David sighs. Caffeine probably wouldn't have done him any good anyway.

"Oops, sorry David! I was aiming for Neil!"

"Damn it, Nikki. Knock it off!" There's some swearing, some screaming, and a multitude of food items flying across the room before Gwen stomps back over to their table. There's oatmeal and crumbs in her hair and a squirming Nikki under her arm. "Still think they deserve to have fun?"

David offers a hesitated smile. "…Yes?"

They're surrounded by screams and flying oatmeal, and Nikki's war cries are agitating a headache David didn't know he had. He looks over at Max, who's right in the middle of the action just as expected and currently dumping the entire pot of oatmeal on Preston's head while the theater camper shrieks in terror.

Just another morning at Camp Campbell!

\-----

Gwen sits on the ground next to him as they watch the kids play capture the flag. He can see her scrutinizing him out of the corner of his eye, her eyes narrowed and staring into his soul.

"What's up, co-counselor?" Maybe she wouldn’t have suspected anything if his voice didn’t get caught in his throat halfway through the sentence. Admittedly, he feels significantly worse than he did at breakfast. He didn’t realize his throat could get any more sore, but it hurts to swallow. It also hurts to move. Every breath he draws in threatens a cough on the way out, and he's starting to feel shaky and unsteady.

Gwen doesn’t reply. Her brow furrows and suddenly there's a hand cupping his cheek. She offers a hum of sympathy, and then promptly smacks him in the face.

"Ow! What’s that for?!" he yells hoarsely as he rubs the sore area.

"Go. Back. To. Bed. David, you've got a fever. And you're just making yourself worse by being out here!"

She's not wrong, he knows it.

"Well Gwen, normally I would agree with you," Lies, he wouldn’t. "But you can't do everything your- yourself…" David hardly gets the last word out before his coughing into the crook of his arm. It's a quick, but painful cough that leaves him wincing and rubbing at his throat. Gwen's giving him a Look when he turns back to her.

"You're an idiot." She leans over and pulls something out of her pocket, and throws it in his lap. A travel package of tissues. "Also, your nose is running and it's gross."

\-----

David can't breathe through his nose by lunchtime, and his tissue supply is depleting quickly. Every movement takes more effort than it should, every movement _aches._

David wades through the sea of rowdy children and all but falls onto his and Gwen's table. He folds his arms and lets his head fall onto them. Maybe he can catch a quick nap before lunch is over. In fact, he's just about to fall asleep when something hard and plastic-y nudges him.

He pries an eye open.

"Here, eat." Gwen continually shoves the tray into his arm until he finally sits up.

"I'm really not hungry..."

"I know," her voice gains a bit of sympathy. Gwen sits down in front of him with her own food. "But you haven't eaten yet, and that's probably part of the reason you feel so shitty right now."

Now that David thinks about it, his headache and fatigue does feel familiar, like his days where he gets so preoccupied with camp activities he forgets to eat altogether.

Gwen's expectant gaze on him, he takes a bite of a carrot stick. David has to stifle a whimper as it irritates his sore throat to the point where he nearly gags, and he's reminded exactly why he hasn't eaten today.

_"Owww..."_

"Is it really that bad?"

David doesn't want to be whiny, but yes it is that bad.

Gwen frowns. "I'd get you something easier to eat but our menu options are kinda limited. Maybe a soup run is in order later."

Lunch goes about as well as usual. Thankfully, Gwen doesn't ask him to help break up a fight between Nurf and Dolph, because he doesn't think he'd have the strength anyway. Gwen's busy screaming at the kids as David wraps his arms around himself, shuddering. Chills probably aren't a good sign, are they? Or maybe it's just really cold in there all of a sudden.

David runs the back of his hand under his nose in a feeble attempt to stop it running. He considers actually listening to his co-counselor and going back to bed. He can't be much help in his current state.

"David."

David blinks up at the small figure in front of him. He offers a shaky smile, and an even shakier "H-hey, Max! Are you excited about the bonfire t-" and he's coughing again.

Max raises an eyebrow. Behind him, Gwen's holding Dolph out of Nurf's reach and threatening to take away his knife collection for a week. Max can't be fazed by chaos if he doesn't want to be. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

David isn't sure why he expected anything different to come out of the camper's mouth. "Excuse me?"

Max hops onto the bench across from him and takes a shameless bite off the cookie from Gwen's plate. "Are you sick or something?"

A sigh. There's no point in lying to Max. "Yes, I think I am," he answers with a rasp. "You probably shouldn't get so close, actually. I'd hate for you to get sick too!"

Max scoffs between bites. "Yeah, 'cause I'm the one we should be concerned about right now."

If David didn't know anything better, he would have thought Max just admitted that he's concerned. Aww.

David's ready to insist he's alright, that it's nothing but a cold and that he's excited for tonight's bonfire!... Instead he just coughs, and coughs… and coughs, until Max is giving him a confused and slightly terrified look.

"Are you like… dying?"

David tries to clear his throat, but he's just met with more pain. The angry ache flares and he nearly cries in pure misery, trying to swallow. Finally, "I'll be okay!" The state of his voice says otherwise.

Max gapes at him in disbelief. "Is this because of that stupid bonfire tonight? Jesus David, you're such a masochist." The time comes again where David has to make the decision to ignore how a ten year-old knows the meaning of such terms. That's a concern for another day.

David goes to respond, but a sad rasp is all that he can get out. He sighs, and wonders if maybe Gwen is right. He's no help like this. If anything, he's just increasing the chance of germs spreading to the campers and then he'd feel worse than he does right now.

"Could you-" he tries to clear his throat and finally manages to get a little bit of his voice to return. For now. "Could you get Gwen, please?"

David expects a 'Do it yourself, Camp Man' or maybe just a 'naw', but Max raises his eyebrows, turns, and walks to Gwen without a word. He not-so-gently pokes her arm to get her attention, they exchange words David can't hear over Dolph's horrified screaming, and she pulls herself from the chaotic scene with worry painted on her face.

"What's up?"

Instead of explaining anything, David just nods in the direction of the counselor's cabin.

A soft smile tugs at her lips. "Go ahead. I can handle them. We'll do the bonfire some other-"

"No!" David argues hoarsely. "I'll be back in time to help set up."

Gwen scoffs, exasperated, as soon as she hears his voice. He doesn't blame her. "David, oh my God! You're being-" Screaming from the other side of the room cuts her off, and Gwen groans, "Just go to bed and stay there!" before marching off to deal with the kids.

The small walk to their cabin is enough to wear David out even more. He crashes onto his bed without a second thought. He pulls off his shoes, vest and bandana and quickly gets under the covers.

It's impossible to get warm no matter how hard he tries, even after pulling out the spare blanket from under his bed and huddling under that as well. Both blankets are pulled up to his neck in a sad attempt to retain some heat. David shudders. He needs to set an alarm to wake up and help Gwen, doesn't he? With a shiver, he takes one arm out of the not-so-warm cocoon to do so.

Between his achy muscles, stuffy nose, and unrelenting chills, it's a testament to how tired his body is when David still manages to fall asleep.

\-----

_RIIING! RIIING!_

David reaches over to stop the alarm from worsening his headache.

His throat still hurts like nothing he's felt before, and he still feels _miserable._ The chills are gone! But have been replaced with a stifling heat and his clothes sticking to him uncomfortably, as if his body is saying _'you didn't like being cold, how about hot instead?'._

Still, at least he's… rested? He certainly doesn't feel as if he's going to keel over at any moment. That's an improvement, right?

He changes his clothes into something less sweaty and less hot, abandoning his long-sleeved shirt for short sleeves and leaving his bandana altogether. Gwen gives him a strange look when he finally stumbles out.

"Wow, you… still look like shit." She looks him over from top to bottom, and David thinks she's going to try to send him away again. Her exhaustion from dealing with the campers by herself all afternoon seems to outweigh her desire to make him take care of himself. Gwen pinches the bridge of her nose with a sigh, "Whatever. You grab the marshmallows and stuff, I'll get the chairs up… and I guess we should get the kids over here at some point."

David nods and is more than happy to go grab what motivated their kids the most: the food.

It isn't long before they gather all the campers around, giving each a hotdog on a poker and directions that include 'These are not toys or weapons please be careful'.

Once every kid is happily eating their dinner and preparing themselves for s'mores, David sighs in relief and sits down. The fire pops and crackles in the middle of it all, serving as some nice ambient sounds underneath all of the chattering going on.

"Well, you did it."

David doesn't realize his eyes are closed until he has to pry them open to see Gwen sitting next to him. He smiles, "What did I do?"

"You pulled this off without dying of the plague. Good job."

David chuckles - or tries to - but it ends in a cough. He leans back against the chair, closing his eyes once again and folding his arms around himself. The chills are back.

"I'll get you a blanket," Gwen says.

"Thanks, Gwen… you're so great."

A scoff. "Sometimes I think I only do this stuff for you because I don't wanna be left running this place on my own. Do you think Campbell would hire someone new if you kicked the bucket?"

"Maybe, but they might not be as good of a counselor as I am," David says with a shrug.

\-----

The kids have a great time. It makes David feel better seeing all of them laughing and having fun, even Max seems to be enjoying himself for once (while he’s not going through with elaborate schemes), and that alone makes the whole day worth it.

He never knew, but maybe being sick makes him lonelier, as David finds himself missing Gwen in the short time she’s gone to get the kids to bed and tear down everything from their bonfire - actually, it seems to take her longer than he expected. David is happier than he should be for his co-counselor to return.

“You awake?” Gwen calls out to the dimly-lit cabin.

David sits up, the covers he was wrapped in sliding off his shoulders. “I’m awake!”

“Sweet. I brought something for you.”

“Really? What is it?”

“Patience!”

He chuckles. “Patience? That doesn’t sound like a great gift.” The joke earns a groan from Gwen.

David hears the car keys hit their end table and switches on a lamp next to his bed to see what’s going on. Before he knows it, something warm is pressed into his hands and he looks down to find a container of soup sporting the local diner’s logo. David could cry.

Okay, he might be crying a little. “Aw Gwen, you didn’t have to-”

“Shut up and eat it,” Gwen blinks, before adding “...Please. You haven’t eaten today and it’s kinda _freaking me out.”_

She doesn’t have to tell him twice. David’s content to guzzle the whole container right now, realizing how hungry he really is. But Gwen starts moving things around until their comfy, ancient chairs are facing their little table. She pats his chair and plops down in the other with her own soup.

“There. Now it’s a picnic or some shit.”

David grins. It isn’t their first late-night hangout, but it is the first unplanned one. The first one initiated by Gwen. He happily settles in and opens the lid without another word, sinking the plastic spoon into the fantastic-smelling liquid. Finally, something to soothe his throat.

Gwen breaks the silence between them. “You know what we never do? We never actually go out and do stuff on our days off.”

There isn’t a whole lot to do in Sleepy Peak. He and Gwen agreed a long time ago that they were better off just staying at camp on weekends. What’s changed?

“What do you have in mind?”

Gwen shrugs as she swallows a spoonful of soup. “I’m not sure. Just something, y’know? I’m kinda dying to get out of here.”

David doesn’t share the feelings toward Camp Campbell - heck, he’d live there all year round if he could - but he’s sure down for doing something with his CBFL on the weekends. She curls up tighter and sends a quick nervous glance his way when she thinks he’s not paying attention.

“That sounds like a lot of fun!”

“It does?” Gwen asks, looking relieved.

“Yeah! We could-” He’s coughing before he can continue, and struggles to clear his throat. “...We could get dinner together, and-” More hacking. “And then-” Nope, his body isn’t going to let him speak. David reluctantly sets his soup down and pulls up his shirt collar to cough into. When he’s done, he feels a hand on his back that must’ve been there for a while. Gwen’s wearing a fond smile, one he so rarely sees.

“Alright alright, how about we make plans when you’re not infected with the plague?”

“That-” He pauses, clearing his throat. “That sounds like a good idea.”


End file.
